This was originally written as an article, but it wasn't read much, so I figured I'd post it here, and see what the reception is.
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A leading factor to the popularity, success, and intrigue of the Zelda series has been, in my opinion, the very strong connection between the player and the game. This connection has been facilitated by the nature of Link, the main character. Link has always been portrayed in a way as to have minimal character for himself, allowing the player to be fully immersed into the game; almost "becoming" Link. It is also commonly inferred that the very name "Link" implies that the character serves chiefly as a "link" between the player and the game.
From the very beginning, Link had very little of a character beyond his design. Unlike other game characters of the time, he didn't even technically have a name. Since Zelda I for the Famicom Disk System/NES in 1986/1987, Link could be named by the player. Though it served little purpose then other than identification of the game file, in future games, non-playable characters would refer to Link by whatever name the player game him, starting with A Link to the Past. By including this feature, Nintendo was able to immerse the player into the game rather deeply from the beginning, by allowing the main character to be named after his or herself, and allowing him or her to take on the role.
In the future, when more characters began taking on speaking roles in the Zelda series, it became apparent that Link would not take on such a role. The key consequence to his character of giving Link speech is that it would also require him to be endowed with an opinion on events in the game or statements by NPCs. By opting against this route, Nintendo placed the right of Link to make an opinion firmly into the hands of the player, allowing Link to not only take his/her name but his/her personality to a greater extent than in most other video games. This also served to advance the exploration concept, which has always been one of the key concepts of the Zelda series, by giving the player the power of the impetus of not only what Link would do, but what he would want to do. If Link did have an opinion, it would not be far-fetched to see him "speak" to the player, saying such things as "I'd better get to Lake Hylia right away!" The role of making such statements creates a far more immersive experience for the player when it is placed on the shoulders of a "helper" like Navi or Midna, as it gives the player the freedom provide Link with the desire to not go to Lake Hylia, but to play more minigames, without giving off the sense that the player is controlling Link, rather than acting as Link.
The upcoming game Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword, provides Nintendo with an opportunity to fully cement the "Link" between player and game, with the addition of motion controls. The abilities of the player to create Link's actions, his thoughts, his opinions, and his name have been used throughout the series to bring the game to life, or to place the player in the game. With the motion controls of Skyward Sword, the player will be given the ultimate power over Link: the ability to have Link fully emulate the player's movements in his actions. For many Zelda fans, myself included, this means that for the first time we can almost fully "become" Link, with an unprecedented extent of realism and control. This could allow us to fully take on the role of the hero entirely, in such a way impossible in other game series or even other Zelda games.
Some sense of this has already been demonstrated in the version of Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess for the Nintendo Wii. Twilight Princess featured simple motion controls for the sword, as well as controls that used the Wii Remote's pointer to aim the bow or clawshot. These controls did give some of a sense of complete control of Link. However, Skyward Sword clearly indicates a will and a way to expand this sense in an exponential way. What is pointing the remote and pressing an underbutton to use the bow to pulling the remote back to fire the bow in a fashion that emulates real archery? What is swinging the remote to activate a set sword movement animation to having the sword emulate precisely the movements of the player's hand? Skyward Sword should bring these features and more to the player, allowing him/her to more completely than ever step into the shoes of the hero and control all of his actions throughout his quest. In Skyward Sword, unlike any video game before it, the quest is not "Link's," it is fully and entirely "mine" or "yours" or "hers." On top of every other way in which the silent hero is emulated by the player; in will, in name, in opinion, in action, he will now more realistically than ever emulate the player's movements in every way.
In addition to the motion controls, the new graphics design of Skyward Sword may also contribute to the feeling of "becoming" the person of Link. As has been displayed in the demos and trailers, Skyward Sword uses a cel-shade graphical style that somewhat resembles impressionist art, which instills in the viewer the sense of seeing a painting come to life. This seems as though it will give the feel of one stepping into a painting, or even into a whole new world. And, since Link in Skyward Sword will be new to Hyrule, it will put the player in the same position of him; a position of one stepping into an incredible new world. However, unlike in The Wind Waker, the shape of Link and the other characters will appear more similar to people in the real world, so it will be easier for players to picture themselves as Link.
The future holds still more potential for further advancement of the "Link" between player and game. As demonstrated in the WiiU video at E3 2011, the WiiU holds much potential for the Legend of Zelda series. In the video, a depiction of Link fighting a Gohma-like creature was shown, using 1080p graphics. In this video, the new WiiU controller (which I have come to call the WiiPad) was used as Link's inventory. This could potentially be used in addition ways as a separate screen in order to make a player's experience of stepping into the shoes of Link even more realistic. For one thing, it could serve to eliminate the need of a heads-up display (HUD), making the main screen display seem like a fully immersive world, rather than a video game. Information like Heart and Rupee counts, as well as the Magic meter could be relegated to the screen on the WiiPad. The controller could also serve as the Inventory, Item, Quest Status and Map Subscreens; using tablet-like touch gestures to switch between them. By incorporating these features into the WiiPad, the screen would have little if any display besides actual actions occurring in-game, thus improving the realism of the overall experience of stepping into Hyrule.
On the whole, the "Link" made between the player and the game is one of the features that sets the Legend of Zelda apart from other game series, and it is a feature that upcoming releases could improve even more in order to blur the line between the real world and the game. Skyward Sword's motion features and WiiU's tablet-like controller can go far in improving the "Link" in future installments of the Zelda series.
_______________________________
A leading factor to the popularity, success, and intrigue of the Zelda series has been, in my opinion, the very strong connection between the player and the game. This connection has been facilitated by the nature of Link, the main character. Link has always been portrayed in a way as to have minimal character for himself, allowing the player to be fully immersed into the game; almost "becoming" Link. It is also commonly inferred that the very name "Link" implies that the character serves chiefly as a "link" between the player and the game.
From the very beginning, Link had very little of a character beyond his design. Unlike other game characters of the time, he didn't even technically have a name. Since Zelda I for the Famicom Disk System/NES in 1986/1987, Link could be named by the player. Though it served little purpose then other than identification of the game file, in future games, non-playable characters would refer to Link by whatever name the player game him, starting with A Link to the Past. By including this feature, Nintendo was able to immerse the player into the game rather deeply from the beginning, by allowing the main character to be named after his or herself, and allowing him or her to take on the role.
In the future, when more characters began taking on speaking roles in the Zelda series, it became apparent that Link would not take on such a role. The key consequence to his character of giving Link speech is that it would also require him to be endowed with an opinion on events in the game or statements by NPCs. By opting against this route, Nintendo placed the right of Link to make an opinion firmly into the hands of the player, allowing Link to not only take his/her name but his/her personality to a greater extent than in most other video games. This also served to advance the exploration concept, which has always been one of the key concepts of the Zelda series, by giving the player the power of the impetus of not only what Link would do, but what he would want to do. If Link did have an opinion, it would not be far-fetched to see him "speak" to the player, saying such things as "I'd better get to Lake Hylia right away!" The role of making such statements creates a far more immersive experience for the player when it is placed on the shoulders of a "helper" like Navi or Midna, as it gives the player the freedom provide Link with the desire to not go to Lake Hylia, but to play more minigames, without giving off the sense that the player is controlling Link, rather than acting as Link.
The upcoming game Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword, provides Nintendo with an opportunity to fully cement the "Link" between player and game, with the addition of motion controls. The abilities of the player to create Link's actions, his thoughts, his opinions, and his name have been used throughout the series to bring the game to life, or to place the player in the game. With the motion controls of Skyward Sword, the player will be given the ultimate power over Link: the ability to have Link fully emulate the player's movements in his actions. For many Zelda fans, myself included, this means that for the first time we can almost fully "become" Link, with an unprecedented extent of realism and control. This could allow us to fully take on the role of the hero entirely, in such a way impossible in other game series or even other Zelda games.
Some sense of this has already been demonstrated in the version of Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess for the Nintendo Wii. Twilight Princess featured simple motion controls for the sword, as well as controls that used the Wii Remote's pointer to aim the bow or clawshot. These controls did give some of a sense of complete control of Link. However, Skyward Sword clearly indicates a will and a way to expand this sense in an exponential way. What is pointing the remote and pressing an underbutton to use the bow to pulling the remote back to fire the bow in a fashion that emulates real archery? What is swinging the remote to activate a set sword movement animation to having the sword emulate precisely the movements of the player's hand? Skyward Sword should bring these features and more to the player, allowing him/her to more completely than ever step into the shoes of the hero and control all of his actions throughout his quest. In Skyward Sword, unlike any video game before it, the quest is not "Link's," it is fully and entirely "mine" or "yours" or "hers." On top of every other way in which the silent hero is emulated by the player; in will, in name, in opinion, in action, he will now more realistically than ever emulate the player's movements in every way.
In addition to the motion controls, the new graphics design of Skyward Sword may also contribute to the feeling of "becoming" the person of Link. As has been displayed in the demos and trailers, Skyward Sword uses a cel-shade graphical style that somewhat resembles impressionist art, which instills in the viewer the sense of seeing a painting come to life. This seems as though it will give the feel of one stepping into a painting, or even into a whole new world. And, since Link in Skyward Sword will be new to Hyrule, it will put the player in the same position of him; a position of one stepping into an incredible new world. However, unlike in The Wind Waker, the shape of Link and the other characters will appear more similar to people in the real world, so it will be easier for players to picture themselves as Link.
The future holds still more potential for further advancement of the "Link" between player and game. As demonstrated in the WiiU video at E3 2011, the WiiU holds much potential for the Legend of Zelda series. In the video, a depiction of Link fighting a Gohma-like creature was shown, using 1080p graphics. In this video, the new WiiU controller (which I have come to call the WiiPad) was used as Link's inventory. This could potentially be used in addition ways as a separate screen in order to make a player's experience of stepping into the shoes of Link even more realistic. For one thing, it could serve to eliminate the need of a heads-up display (HUD), making the main screen display seem like a fully immersive world, rather than a video game. Information like Heart and Rupee counts, as well as the Magic meter could be relegated to the screen on the WiiPad. The controller could also serve as the Inventory, Item, Quest Status and Map Subscreens; using tablet-like touch gestures to switch between them. By incorporating these features into the WiiPad, the screen would have little if any display besides actual actions occurring in-game, thus improving the realism of the overall experience of stepping into Hyrule.
On the whole, the "Link" made between the player and the game is one of the features that sets the Legend of Zelda apart from other game series, and it is a feature that upcoming releases could improve even more in order to blur the line between the real world and the game. Skyward Sword's motion features and WiiU's tablet-like controller can go far in improving the "Link" in future installments of the Zelda series.
